Meet Shane Dennehey | Owner, Dennehey Design

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shane Dennehey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shane, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.” —Brené Brown

We spend a lot of time talking about the beauty of imperfection. We work with antique reclaimed wood and imperfect people. The combination of those things leads to interestingly imperfect results. We’re all on a journey of learning and improving, but we’re not aiming for perfection—we’re aiming for beauty.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We started out as a woodworking business but quickly evolved into a niche we never expected. Hearts! We launched a simple reclaimed wood heart product for Valentine’s 2021, and we haven’t been able to keep up with demand since.

We love making them and hearing our customers stories about how they’re using them to spread love and joy to their friends, family, and communities.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I mentioned before how I’m introverted. My favorite place in DFW is a trail about a mile from home.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I took two distinct career paths before going full-time with my business—first in carpentry, then in graphic design—Dennehey Design is the fruit of those two paths merging. So many people helped me along the way. My uncle Mike Dennehey was the first to teach me to work with wood. He also encouraged me to go to trade school to advance my craft. I continued working as a carpenter for nearly a decade before feeling called to switch to a career in the arts.

My graphic design and marketing career gave me the inspirational fuel to go at it on my own.
My most inspiring teacher, David Bieloh, gave me the confidence to carve my own path. My two-time boss Lawrence Swicegood helped me see the world through the lens of the audience. My design colleague Matt Brinker helped me loosen up stylistically. And my colleague, boss, and tour guide Matt Knisely helped me navigate the murky waters of digital marketing.

I owe a lot of thanks to people I’ve known IRL, but I’m profoundly inverted and love to learn, so books have probably made the most significant impact on my growth. Start with Why, by Simon Sinek, was the book that lit me on fire—it made me want to build something that matters. I learned about the book Stretch, by Scott Sonenshein, at just the right time, and it helped me through a difficult season. And the book that I quote the most and follow the least is Essentialism by Greg McKeown. I want to be an Essentialist, and I am improving, but I still take on too much.

Website: denneheydesign.com

Instagram: denneheydesign

Facebook: denneheydesign

Youtube: denneheydesign

Image Credits
All Images are by Dennehey Design